


True North

by ghostromanoff



Series: Gold [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, M/M, a sliver of angst, an excess of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2019-01-28 19:46:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12614080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostromanoff/pseuds/ghostromanoff
Summary: Bucky can't sleep and Steve investigates.





	True North

**Author's Note:**

> surprise this is a series now! 
> 
> this started out as a very different fic but i'm pretty happy with where it ended up 
> 
> also! huge shout out to adrian because without him this au wouldn't exist and would just be a random tweet i made and never went back to
> 
> (don't forget i have a tumblr! ghstromanoff)

It wasn’t uncommon for Steve to wake up after alone a few hours sleep, his body had become accustomed to the life of being captain of a ship and now even on nights where there was no threat and he wasn’t expected to lead his crew into a fight he routinely awoke in the dark of the cabin.

It was even less uncommon, since the loss of his arm, for Steve to wake up in the night and find that Bucky was no longer next to him in their shared bed. Occasionally Steve would find him sat at their desk in the large ornate chair they shared looking over charts and maps or simply staring into the night. There had been few times in recent months that Steve had woken with the distinct feeling he was being watched and had opened his eyes in the dark revealing Bucky propped up on his one arm watching Steve's chest rise and fall as he slept with a sharp gaze.

Tonight however when Steve’s eyes had finally adjusted to the black of the room and noticed that Bucky was nowhere to be found, he slowly swung his legs over the side of their bed and began searching for his boots before grabbing a couple of the blankets strewn around the room, knowing all too well how cold the nights at sea could get even in the middle of the Caribbean. 

Some nights, when Bucky truly couldn’t quiet his brain enough for even a sliver of sleep, he would go out on deck. 

Steve never struggled to find Bucky even in the most crowded of rooms, it had always been as if a part of his mind always knew exactly where to find the other half of his heart. With almost all of their crew asleep below he instantly sought him out standing alone to the side of the top deck. “You’re going to freeze out here”, his eyes slowly sliding over to the space that Steve now occupied at his right side and then back over into the dark sea was the only indication Bucky gave that he was even aware of Steve’s presence, not even reacting to the blanket now wrapped around his shoulders.

They could have been stood there together in the dark, watching the black waves roll against a sky that was illuminated by an abundance of stars for hours before either of them spoke again, both content to silently share the space.

“I’d burn this whole thing to ground for you,” Bucky was still facing up to the moon, but Steve had turned to watch him as he spoke and noticed the tick in his jaw before he continued. “If I lost you, Steve, I’d burn this entire ship, and anyone that got in my way. The thought of losing you? I can’t do it. I just-.”

“Hey.” When Bucky got like this Steve knew he’d like talk himself mad if he wasn’t stopped. “I’m here. I’m fine, well, I’m freezing my ass off but I’m here and alive.” He took a small step closer to Bucky’s side and reached out to take the hand that was tightly gripping the wood in front of them, wanting to let Bucky know he was there and give him something to ground his thoughts without overcrowding him. 

Steve waited until Bucky’s breathing had calmed and some of the stress he perpetually held in his shoulders had left his body before speaking again. 

“You can’t lose me anyway.” 

“No? Why not?”

“Because, I’m your true North.” This time Bucky did turn to look at Steve, a deep crease slowly forming between his brows and even though he was clearly trying to hide it the sides of his mouth turning up with obvious, and just spurred Steve on into a full grin. “You’ll always be able to find me.”

“You’re full of shit, Rogers. God. This is why I do all the navigating, you’d get us lost in an hour.” 

“Are you forgetting that I’m the captain of this ship? Being able to navigate is practically the only requirement of my job.”

“That and looking pretty, Captain.” They were both now stood with their shoulders pressed together, a true smile had broken out on Bucky’s face, and he’d released his grip on the wood of their ship to entwine his fingers with Steve’s instead.

Neither of them were wearing nearly enough layers, and Steve knew that they undoubtedly had a long day ahead of them tomorrow, but for know he was perfectly fine with standing in the freezing night with Bucky next to him smiling again.


End file.
